Chapter 21 - Garrett
My problem was never that I didn’t want to be good. Each time I started something, I set out with the intention of doing it well.
That was never the issue.
The problem I ran into, time and time again, was that nothing ever seemed worth doing.
Not in the long term. What was the point of continuing to climb the ladder at work if every raise was counteracted by inflation, so I was never able to leave the same, small apartment?
What was the point of pursuing a relationship if the corrosive effects of time would inevitably leave it in shambles?
I would work as long as I could, until the pointlessness of the pursuit consumed me, and I found myself bored, apathetic, and unable to continue pushing.
But joining the Fratelli had felt different. Suddenly, I was part of something bigger than myself, older than any business model I’d been trained to respect.
When I’d stumbled upon that YouTube series months ago, about an ancient order of monster hunters who would sponsor a visa to Italy, I’d thought I’d finally found my calling.
I’d be fighting for something good.
I’d be protecting innocent people.
I could leave behind a legacy.
I hadn’t wholly believed the stories as I went through the remote orientation.
But something kept pushing me forward. I had rolled my eyes at the history of Rossaia and its entanglement with mermaids, but the idea of getting out of Chicago, out of the United States, had been too tempting to disregard.
Something, I had known, was waiting for me in this ancient city. And for once, I knew I needed to follow through on its call.
Unfortunately, doing so became the reason I found myself wandering aimlessly through the city in the middle of the night, marching in concentric circles until I looked up and saw the front door of the Fratelli house in front of me.
I wasn’t even sure if it was safe for me to go inside. Would any of the brothers recognize what I’d become? I could hide the elongated canines behind my lips as long as I didn’t talk or smile, but what if I forgot? What if I let myself slip…
How quickly would the other Fratelli take to turn on me?
A bitter laugh clawed its way out of my throat as I unlocked the door and pushed my way inside. Because wasn’t it me who had turned on them?
At the back of my throat, something burned.
It was surprising how insistent the thirst was.
Despite having drunk from Marella just a few hours ago (I had to rub my eyes as I waited for the elevator to avoid dwelling too long on that experience) the discomfort that had overwhelmed me was already beginning to creep back into my body.
How was it possible that the mermaids could subsist on one night of feeding for the entire month?
As I exited the elevator on my floor, I made a mental note to look into that question the next time I searched with Lucas—
There shouldn’t be a next time, that quiet, scared voice whispered.
I nodded my head at a passing brother as I rushed towards my room. Once I was safely inside, I closed the door firmly behind me and locked it.
I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
Unfortunately, my dreams were filled with images of dark black hair and bright green eyes and sharp, dangerous nails trailing gently down my back.
"She’s his niece?"
"That’s what he said."
"There’s no way. She’s way too gorgeous."
The conversation was nonsensical. Who was talking? Whose niece was here? Why were they talking about her? And why were they talking directly outside of my room?
My mouth felt like cotton as I rubbed sleep from my eyes and slowly sat up.
Two members of the Fratelli were standing outside my door, having an obnoxiously loud conversation about someone.
I stood up and stumbled towards the door, ready to tell them off. I couldn’t tell how long I’d been sleeping—the shadows seemed longer inside the room, but everything still felt hot.
When I flung the door open, I was met with two startled men. I recognized them as two new recruits. They were both younger than me. I was pretty sure they’d never been out on actual patrol yet.
Their wide eyes softened into amusement when they saw it was me and not a more senior member.
"Oh, hey, Garrett," the taller one—Carson?— said. "Sorry, were you sleeping?"
I glared and nodded.
"Our bad," the other one added. "But did you know that Lucas has his niece downstairs?" His eyes practically glowed with excitement.
"I didn’t," I grumbled. "Have you never seen a woman before?"
They both laughed. "Not like this one," Carson said. "She’s beautiful. Like, for real. And she’s wearing this short, red dress—"
I felt the air leave my lungs in a massive rush. Before I knew what I was doing, I was pushing past them down the hallway, rushing towards the elevator.
There’s no way Lucas would be that stupid.
They laughed as I retreated, making jokes about how I clearly needed to see for myself.
When I got to the elevator, I jammed my finger against the button over and over again, until I worried I might break it, willing the stupid machine to move faster.
Once I was inside, I tapped my feet rhythmically, staring at my wild-eyed reflection in the polished metal until the doors finally slid open on the bottom floor.
Women were only allowed in the mezzanine—not that that prevented brothers from sneaking them upstairs, but Lucas would have been more careful sneaking her around if he’d taken her further inside. Carson and his friend wouldn’t have ever seen her.
The elevator descended like it was moving through molasses. With each second that passed, I vacillated between anger at Lucas for bringing her here and annoyance at myself for believing that possible. Just because this woman was wearing a red dress doesn’t mean that it’s her.
Finally, the doors slid open, and I jumped out, frantically turning my head from side to side, searching for her.
She was turned away from me. One of Lucas’s hands rested gently on her back, his other gesturing to one of the paintings on the wall. He did indeed look like an uncle giving his niece a tour.
But it was definitely her. Her short, inky hair gently brushed her shoulders, and she stood preternaturally still.
As Lucas described the history behind the painting before them, she clenched and unclenched her hands, like the image was an assault.
Around them, members of the Fratelli wandered from room to room, raising their eyebrows in her direction as they moved.
I’d never been a jealous person, but the way some of them looked at her made me rethink my compunctions against drinking living blood.
How could he bring her here?
I felt like I couldn’t breathe. The air in the mezzanine felt heavy and stifling. If just one of them looked too closely, there was no way she could escape.
I’d seen her take down a handful of full grown men. But a group of frat boys were nothing compared to dozens of highly trained hunters.
I was going to kill Lucas.
I took a step towards them, but I didn’t say anything. Barely made a sound.
Still, I saw her back straighten. Her fists stopped clenching.
Slowly, she stepped away from Lucas, hair swishing as she moved. When she turned to look at me, she did so over one shoulder. Her eyes sliced across the room like she was trying to cut it in half with a look alone. And when they landed on me, they met mine with a snap.
I felt the tendons in my chest tighten. For a second, we just stared at each other. I was aware of Lucas turning to face me as well, but he may as well not have been there.
She smirked, and I felt the corners of my mouth twitch in answer.
I’d thought that joining the Fratelli had given my life meaning.
But somewhere, deep in the recesses of my soul, I knew that she would be part of it.